Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Intro to GAPS diet- here I come!

First, I need to say that my family had CHILI tonight! I was a bit nervous about it, but all went well (no, I didn't tell them what was in it.  More about that another time).

I ordered the book Gut and Psychology Syndrome:  Natural treatment for Dyspraxia, autism, A.D.D., Dyslexia, ADHD, depression, schizophrenia, by Dr. Natasha Campbell-Mcbride MD, MMedSci(neuroloty), MMedSci (nutrition), and it came last week.  I've spent every spare minute reading it! 

It's obvious to me that I need to get down to the nitty gritty and do the Intro to GAPS diet.  It is even stricter that what I've been doing so far, and Jimmy thinks I'm crazy.  But the more I study, the more convinced I am that this is what I need to do.  The Intro to GAPS diet is designed to heal and seal the gut lining quickly.  It's for those who have serious digestive symptoms:  reflux, diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, severe constipation, etc.  I don't have any of those, but then the author also says that those with food allergies should do it, too.

You can move through the program as fast or slow as the symptoms will permit.  I think that I'll be able to move quickly, and if not, then that will show me that I really needed the healing!  There are six stages, and you add a little more and more at each stage.

In stage 1 you start off having homemade meat or fish stock, homemade soup with the meat stock & veggies, and probiotic foods like fermented veggies, whey, sour cream, yogurt, and kefir.

In stage 2 you have the above and add raw organic egg yolks to the broth, plus stews and casseroles made with meats and vegetables (no spices, just salt), and GHEE.  What is ghee, you might ask?  (I had never even heard of this a month ago!)  It's a type of clarified butter.  What is clarified butter, you might ask?  (nope- I hadn't heard of it!).  Clarified butter is milk fat rendered from butter to separate the milk solids and water from the butterfat.  Clear as mud?  Yeah, to me, too.

Stage 3- Previous foods plus add ripe avocado, nut butter/egg/winter squash pancake, scrambled eggs, sauerkraut & fermented veggies.

Stage 4- Previous foods plus roasted and grilled meats, cold-pressed olive oil, fresh pressed juices, starting with carrot juice, and  nut flour bread.

Stage 5- Previous foods plus cooked apples, honey, raw vegetables

Stage 6 Previous foods, plus raw fruit, baked sweet things (using dried fruit as a sweetener)

Now that I've eaten the way I have for two and a half months now, the thought of doing this diet doesn't overwhelm me as much.  I'm 2/3rds of the way there, anyway.  My family IS NOT going to do it with me.  I know that from just doing this week and a half trying to do some of the regular GAPS diet with them.  I'll still cross my fingers that down the road they'll have a change of heart.  I still plan on having them eat ultra healthy, though.  Just not quite as strict as GAPS is.

Of course I'm still in the planning phase of the GAPS Intro diet, so I won't start it immediately.  But, the sooner the better to stay away from the holidays.

4 comments:

  1. You'll have to keep me informed on how it goes. :) Especially on how it helps with depression, because I think that you deal with that a little too right? I know I do.

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  2. You know what? My dietary changes have already made a big difference with depression! I still have some PMS going on, but I'm feeling so much better! So if you're not going to start gaps right now, if you can stay away from sugar (& maybe grains for awhile?)I wouldn't be surprised if that makes a difference for you!

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  3. Mel, I commented on this yesterday & even got an email confirmation. Now it's not showing. Did you see it?

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